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Even the biggest nay-sayers agree meditation is beneficial even if only from a purely psychological and physical point of view. But the specific methods people approach the topic varies wildly, some techniques having wide applications for most types of people, others being more particular to individual needs or taste or experience. I'm looking for your approaches on the subject. An example answer to this would explain how I will do circular standing and reach stretches first, while doing very deep and expansive breathing. Noting the difference between taking a very full and deep breath while staying compressed and tightly postured (undesired), and the preferred loosely postured breathing which opens up your abdomen, your torso, and your shoulders. Then I sit, trying to to 'elevate' and 'lift' my body as much as possible, rather than sinking and slumping downwards [an example of a technique I believe would apply to mostly anyone]. I place my hands on the back of my neck to feel where there is an angle which should not be there, and firmly massage my neck while gently leaning my head back and forth, twisting and rotating (VERY gently and smoothly) the neck and head around while rocking the shoulders, trying to raise the head and get the vertebrae to align and separate alleviating pinches [example technique I believe applies to anyone who touches the back of their neck and feels a bump, or curve (this is very bad for you); or even those with excellent posture because there's always room for improvement]. Next I begin visualization drills with each of my senses in turn, eyes open first then all over again closed eyes(with my focus being on drawing images and hearing music, as my natural tendencies have always been 'feeling' impressions and hearing words). After this I'll focus on quieting my thoughts by placing my attention on feeling and 'activating' each joint and appendage, straightening and expanding them as a do. Then I'll begin stretching my hands, fingers, and wrists while visualizing the spectrum starting at deep red at my toes passing blue on my forehead slightly above and centered between the eyes. I'll usually include some variety of chants, mantra, or tantra, om mani padme hum is a common one. Simply 'toning' while breathing is also common. I let my mind wander if it feels drawn to any particular topics or process any necessary information now that I have a better perspective. (Consciously controlling breathing the whole time, and this is the hardest part) And I don't have any particular after-meditation activities or rituals because usually I just follow my feet to whatever sounds good at the time because I feel healthier, clearer, more awake, and more responsive. If you'd like you're invited to answer with an explanation of your entire routine with any information you feel relevant. Direct thoughts about things to try or things to avoid also encouraged. Anything you share is appreciated. =) |
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Im a little new to the meditation thing, but there are two exercises I do personally. There both only to deal with issues I feel may be effecting my detachment from a situation or troublesome thought. The first one is to move my focus away from something I don't really want to think about. I firstly relax in a chair become aware of my breathing and then concentrate as much as I can on the person, situation or thought that's troubling me. I think about this for perhaps 2 minutes and then quickly switch and concentrate on something very pleasant, this could be anything. Then I switch back to the troublesome thought for a minute, and then again switch back to another more pleasant subject. I do this repeatedly back and forth , bad thought then good thought, this helps to somehow free up my mechanism for focusing on different subjects. I always give the positive more time than the negative. My second exercise is to concentrate fully on a negative issue that's bothering me, I dwell on this for a few minutes and then stop thinking about it BUT maintain the " feeling" this gives me. This feeling for me is always in the pit of my stomach, although im told it hits some in the chest or head. I then stick with the feeling as much as I can and breath out the issue until the feelings gone. The feeling is almost not a mental thing but physical, something mainly of the body, although im sure thought is behind this. That's it Snow, im not too keen on the meditating for the sake of it, although im sure its beneficial to some. I can only speak for myself, and these two simple procedures loosen up a lot of resistance and aid my detachment. |
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Meditation shouldn't be work! If it feels like work, then something is going wrong... I wouldn't recommend meditating just upon arising; nor would I do it when I was really tired either. After work is a good time; but choosing the best time to do it is about the only real work one should do. At first, one might just try to be still for just two minutes. This can be increased as you get better at it, but two minutes is excellent to start with. After a week, you can increase this to four minutes, and so on, but two minutes is a good place to start. Eventually, your whole routine might take an hour or more. This is an hour where you should be free from interruptions or potential distractions. Turn off your cell phone of course, and be sure that anything that might interrupt you has been neutralized. Be sure to be in comfortable clothing, and just kick back, and begin. That takes care of the before. There are any number of techniques, and I won't go into any specific technique here; a visit with Google, or a search here on IQ will certainly reveal many ways to meditate. The only goal is to achieve a mindfulness that allows you to step out of yourself, and observe your own thoughts, and the trend of those thoughts. Meditation allows me to just observe my own thinking, and as a result, I have gotten to know my own mind, so to speak. The work of meditation is simply to observe one's thinking, and thereby know oneself. I have found some of the places where I tend to trip up, and places that are sticking places for me in my thinking. Obsessions can be dealt with in meditation. For example, if I am obsessing about a certain person, while meditating, I might discover that I am thinking about this person all the time because I feel especially needy, and that addressing those needs in better ways will make that obsession just go away! I began meditating by simply observing the in and out of my own breathing. I was shocked to discover that my mind was like a frenetic popcorn popper! When I was able to just stay with my breathing for two whole minutes, I felt like I had climbed Mt. Everest! Conquering the whims of self is the whole point to this (among other points). But it really should not feel like work. After meditating, I find that I like being quiet; doing passive activities, for me is best. I suppose other people might ride bikes, or garden, but I like the feeling that my mind has after meditating. Processing seems to be going on in my brain, and I want to let that happen. Perhaps these remarks will help you on your way. Keep trying to meditate. Buddha did! Blessings, Jaianniah
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